The 201st death.

[Text and photos sent by Mohit Jain]

Dearest bookshelf,
We have shared a bond so pristine and intimate. It was the most intimate moment that I spent with you. Your presence evoked a sense of belonging in my otherwise empty life. Each time, I felt alone, you have been a constant companion to fill in the lacks of my life. Without you, I could not have imagined pulling off this life.

Dear mom and dad,
I hope you did not cry when I died and I hope my funeral to be a celebration and not to be a crowd of suffering and mourning people. I wish none of you shed any tears.

Dear friends,
I requested that each of you bring my favourite books to my funeral so you could read a little passage from them. I would have loved you to bring Dostoyevsky or to read out the Mary Oliver’s poems with as much passion as I would have read them. But above all, may you not forget my Emily Dickinson, so I don’t suffer like another doctor Faustus. I wish you made my funeral a literary festival to not provide my soul to be bartered away to the devil. I want it to be a festival of joy! I want you to feel free to sing, to dance and to celebrate the journey of my never-ending love affair with life. Indeed, I have always loved life but expected a bit more as Van Gogh did. I know I have never been a very career or money-minded person, but I don’t regret it anymore. I read many stories from many people across the globe. Moreover, I met some really beautiful friends I will never forget. And at the end, the only thing I would like to say is that it’s not a crime to be queer. I think it’s time that we have to embrace who we really are! Love for all.

Yours,
Rumi

Our Self-Written Obituaries invites people to write their obituary in 200 words. The idea is to share with the world how you will like to be remembered after you are gone. (May you live a long life, of course!) Please mail me your self-obit at mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com.

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